How to Make the Most of Your L&D Budget in 2024

As the global skills shortage becomes more pronounced, organizations must be smart about managing their L&D budgets to upskill and reskill employees while also delivering key business results. Some 87% of companies say they either have a skills gap now or are anticipating one in the next five years, making learning and development (L&D) investments crucial.

Some of the world’s most sophisticated employers are recognizing this. In 2022, Apple announced a $50 million investment in its L&D programs, while Amazon has a $1.2 billion target by 2025 for its training programs.

For decades, research has confirmed that companies that provide training programs perform better, and a 2020 PwC survey of CEOs found that 93% of CEOs who introduce upskilling programs see increases in productivity. Nonetheless, many organizations face L&D budget challenges.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that budget constraints are one of the top barriers to achieving organizational and people goals. That may be in part because although it makes sense that training, broadly speaking, should help employees and therefore companies perform better, it can sometimes be challenging to measure the direct results of specific L&D initiatives.

A 2019 Harvard Business Review article, for example, found that more than 50% of senior leaders don’t believe their organizations’ talent development efforts “adequately build critical skills and organizational capabilities.”

So how can L&D leaders ensure their training initiatives yield the financial and business results that employers need in an increasingly dynamic and competitive environment? In this blog post we’ll lay out some key principles to keep in mind when designing learning programs as well as steps to improve L&D budget management.

Key Areas to Prioritize in L&D Budget Management

When managing a Learning & Development (L&D) budget, it's essential to allocate resources strategically to maximize impact. By concentrating on key areas, organizations can ensure their L&D initiatives are effective, aligned with business goals, and beneficial to both the company and its employees. Here are the critical areas to focus on when managing your L&D budget:

1. Align with Business Goals

   Ensure your L&D initiatives are directly tied to your organization’s strategic objectives by addressing the specific skills and competencies needed to drive business success. This could include learning initiatives that address existing deficiencies or organizational weaknesses (boosting the performance of an underperforming sales team, for example). It could also mean programs designed to maximize company performance in priority areas or help the business adapt and make the most of changing technologies (such as AI). By focusing on the most critical skills, L&D leaders can make a strong business case for investments in training.

2. Deliver Value to Both the Organization and Employees

   L&D initiatives should benefit both the organization and its employees. Programs that enhance job performance, productivity, and employee satisfaction create a win-win situation. For instance, offering training that improves soft skills, such as collaboration and customer focus, can be highly valuable. These skills are increasingly in demand and contribute significantly to overall organizational success.
   
   Likewise, offering employees learning opportunities has been proven to strengthen engagement and retention, key metrics that are closely tied to business performance. Retaining people — and upskilling and reskilling them to help them adapt to new roles and needs — can yield a higher return on investment (ROI) than recruiting, onboarding and training new employees.
   
   

3. Verify Skills with Digital Credentials

   Digital credentials, such as digital badges, show employees’ verifiable skills. Platforms like Credly enable organizations to issue and track these credentials, offering valuable insights into employee skill levels. This data can inform future L&D planning, ensuring that training investments are well-targeted and effective.
   
   Digital credentials representing verified skills can also motivate employees to develop new skills and stay engaged with their changing work environment.
   
   

4. Focus on Future Trends and Needs

   Prioritize L&D initiatives that address emerging technologies, industry shifts, and future skill requirements. Staying ahead of these trends ensures your workforce remains competitive. Additionally, recognizing the importance of soft skills is crucial. While technical skills are essential, soft skills are equally vital for adapting to the evolving workplace landscape.
   
   

5. Understand and Demonstrate ROI

   Measuring the performance of your L&D efforts is crucial to proving the value of learning investments. Evaluate the impact of training initiatives on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as employee productivity, retention, customer satisfaction, and revenue growth. Measurement and evaluation of L&D investments can secure future budgets and improve outcomes.

4 Ways to Maximize Your L&D Budget

Keeping the principles above in mind when designing and implementing L&D programs will help ensure they have a significant and tangible impact on the business. But they don’t guarantee that L&D leaders will get all the budget they want. Here are four tips for maximizing the value of L&D spending.

1. Repurpose Learning Content

   Maximize the value of existing learning materials by repurposing them across different contexts and formats. Convert traditional classroom content into e-learning modules for blended learning opportunities, transform training videos into microlearning resources, or adapt materials for different job roles as an affordable way to scale learning programs. This approach can provide cost savings while still delivering effective training.
   
   

2. Look Inwards for Expertise

   Tap into the expertise within your organization to enhance upskilling and reskilling efforts. Use subject matter experts from various departments as a cost-saving resource to assist in crafting and delivering training content. This internal collaboration brings real-world insights and fosters a sense of ownership and engagement. Programs like Ford’s “Train the Trainer” digital badge motivate employees to undergo training and contribute by training others, promoting a culture of continuous learning.
   
   

3. Leverage AI-Powered Skills Academies

   AI-powered tools and platforms can help create rich, engaging interactive learning content. AI can generate personalized learning experiences, adaptive assessments, and immersive simulations. Platforms like Synthesia enable the creation of AI-generated video content that’s easily refreshed and repurposed, ensuring L&D initiatives remain up-to-date and scalable. Like all areas of business, AI is set to transform traditional training. Forward-thinking L&D leaders are looking for ways to use AI to further leverage their training budgets.
   
   

4. Let Data Lead the Way

   Use data-driven decision-making to optimize L&D budgets. A digital credential issuing platform, such as Credly, helps ensure that data on employee skills is verified and objective. Analyzing data on skill gaps, training effectiveness, and employee performance can focus learning programs on developing critical skills at the right time. Especially when budgets are tight, this approach ensures that L&D initiatives deliver maximum impact.

L&D Can Lead the Way

An effective L&D strategy is essential for organizational success. By aligning L&D initiatives with business goals, delivering value to employees, verifying skills with digital credentials, and leveraging future trends, organizations can maximize the impact of their L&D investments.

Talk to sales at Credly today to discover how our platform can support your organization’s unique training needs and enhance your L&D strategy.